RwandAir can now fly to the USA through a code share partner, after the airline secured an economic authority licence.

However, the airline still aims to get a direct flight permit to the US market.

The national carrier got the economic authority licence last month, a positive step towards securing a permit for direct flights to the US.

“We have received the permit to fly to the US market through a code share partner, but we want an operating licence and fly there as RwandAir and the process is underway,” Yvonne Makolo, the CEO of RwandAir told Rwanda Today.

The carrier was to undergo a technical review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on April 23, which is one of the mandatory audits before getting the operating permit, but it didn’t happen, and the review was moved to an unknown date.

“The review didn’t happen as planned, but it will happen. We are still adhering to the process,” said Ms Makolo.

Assessment

The review was meant to assess compliance of airport operations based on international aviation regulations and standards.

Works to expand Kigali International Airport’s existing terminal, which will include a new waiting area for passengers, are nearing completion.

This is part of ongoing preparations are in efforts to secure a license for the airline to operate direct flights to America.

The plan is to have the licence before Bugesera Airport starts operations.

The country currently has a bilateral air service agreement with the US.

The airline already passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit and also secured a ground-handling certificate.

RwandAir recently added two new destinations of Abuja in Nigeria and Cape Town in South Africa and says these destinations will boost its revenue and also enhance tourism, trade and bilateral partnerships between the three countries.

The Abuja flight will be part of the existing Accra route, where the flight will make a stop in Abuja before heading to Accra for four times a week.

RwandAir was recently granted the fifth freedom by the Nigerian government to fly without any limitations along the Abuja-Yaoundé route in West Africa.

African routes

Its long haul flights are from Kigali to Mumbai, London (Gatwick) and Brussels. Its African routes are to destinations like Harare and Dakar from its new hub in Cotonou, Benin. It also introduced flights to Abidjan, Libreville and Brazzaville from its Cotonou hub.

This year, RwandAir is planning to fly to Guangzhou in China, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Bamako in Mali and Conakry in Guinea.

Rwanda also recently signed a bilateral air service agreement with Cape Verde creating more opportunities for the national carrier. Other planned destinations include Lilongwe in Malawi and Durban in South Africa.

The airline carried more than 650,000 passengers in 2016 and projects to transport over three million travellers in the next five years.

With a fleet of twelve aircraft including two wide-body Airbus A330 bought last year, the airline currently flies to 24 destinations.

The direct flights to the US are expected to unlock huge potential for traders who are already taking advantage of the airline’s reduced cargo rates for export products.

RwandAir recently introduced a reduced shipment rate of $0.95 per kg for Rwandan exporters taking goods to destinations flown by the airline.

International tourist arrivals to Africa increased by eight per cent in 2016, with a total of 58 million tourists bringing in $35 billion, according to the 2017 African Airlines Association report.